Chennai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi lashed out at Congress and its allies for attempting to form a grand alliance against his BJP. He said these parties are coming together as Mahagathbandhan only for their “personal survival.”
Their alliance is not based on ideology but is unholy and opportunistic alliance with the Congress, Mr. Modi said during his third interaction with his party’s Karyakarthas in Tamil Nadu, on Sunday.
“Many political leaders today are talking about a grand alliance or the Mahagathbandhan. Let me tell you that this alliance is for personal survival, not ideological support. This alliance is for power, not for people. This alliance is for personal ambitions and not for people’s aspirations,” Mr. Modi said while interacting with the Karyakarthas in Chennai Central.
He was responding to a question from a party member on whether the Congress and its allies will save themselves from their past sins.
The Prime Minister interacted with BJP booth Karyakarthas from Chennai North, Madurai, Tiruchy besides Tiruvallur districts on the occasion through video conferencing.
Several of these parties and their leaders are deeply inspired by Dr. Lohia, who was deeply opposed to the Congress, its ideology and the way Congress did politics.
“What sort of a tribute are they paying to Dr. Lohia by forming an unholy and opportunist alliance with the Congress?… Dr. Lohia always said the Congress is a compromised party, which had made compromises on many ideological issues,” Mr. Modi further said.
Dr. Lohia had said the Congress was responsible for the caste and inequality in the country and he was pained that the Congress, after 1947 was not the Congress of Mahatma Gandhi, but it had leaders who got used to power and luxury. The top leadership of several parties who are now aiming for a seat in the Mahagathbandhan were arrested and tortured during the emergency.
“Sadly today these parties and Congress have become oxygen for each other. But people know very well the real nature of these parties. Whenever they are in power, the State is complete breakdown of law and order, corrupt and criminal elements are supreme when these parties govern,” Mr. Modi said.
Averring that it is common knowledge how the Congress harassed Mulayam Singh with cases, the PM sought to know if these parties did justice to the ideals of Dr. Lohia.
He said, “The answer is a resounding no, no, no. Congress and its ecosystem spare no one. Even the great MGR, the stalwart who worked for the poor and the downtrodden was targeted. In 1980 his elected government was dismissed. He had the support of the Assembly and the House of the People but Congress had the Raj Bhavan.” Fresh elections were called and MGR won. Indira Gandhi never forgave MGR for that.”
None can forget where the Congress and the DMK stood on the Jain commission. Congress said either it is the DMK or it is Congress then. But today they want to be together. “If not opportunism, what explains their alliance? In Andhra Pradesh, it was NTR who faced the anger and highhandedness of the Congress. He formed a party for the pride and respect of the Telugus when the Congress humiliated the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Yet today the party of NTR wants to align with the Congress. How can the people of AP accept this?” Mr. Modi said and also hit out at the Left parties for “singing praises of the Congress now, after passing resolutions calling Congress pro-imperialist and responsible for the price rise.
He blamed the Congress for the irrigation scam and suicides of farmers in Maharashtra and said the truth behind the so-called grand alliance is they are a “club of rich dynasties with only promise for family rule.” “India wants democracy but the alliance wants dynasty. India wants growth for all, but alliance wants growth only for their families,” he added.
To another question he replied that elections were not won by leaders but by BJP’s hardworking karyakartas. “The more the karyakartas are filled with respect and pride for our Motherland, the more they are connected to the people, and the more sensitive they are towards the poor, the easier will be our victory,” he said.
